


worlds collide (the fire in her eyes)

by absolutelyamethyst



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Adventure, Dragon Ball Super - Freeform, F/M, Gen, OC-centric, OCs - Freeform, Self-Discovery, mostly a genfic with canon ships in the background, not quite sure how to tag this so i'll add more later, original content/worldbuilding, starts out with a lot of original stuff but that's for the worldbuilding!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25323154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/absolutelyamethyst/pseuds/absolutelyamethyst
Summary: "We're ticking time bombs, Riel, all of us. And it's only a matter of time before we erupt."Riel's life has always been leading toward one thing and one thing only. She's never thought about the after."After" comes too soon.OR: things go from bad to worse very quickly, and hybrid soldier Riel is forced to cope with several drastic changes at once. luckily, she'll make a few new friends along the way.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Videl Satan/Son Gohan
Kudos: 1





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!! First fic for the fandom here and I'm really excited!  
> Like the tags say, this fic is A) oc-centric, so if you don't like that, this isn't the fic for you and B) this fic has a LOT (and I do mean a lot) of original characters, aliens, and planets. So if you don't like that, this fic also isn't for you. BUT if you're willing to be patient (lol) then we'll get to the canon gang eventually, and it's gonna be a heck of a ride!  
> Buckle up, and thanks for reading!

“What made you want to be a soldier, Riel?” 

She snorts at the question. Really, genuinely snorts, and her whole face flushes as the Superior officer in front of her blinks at her, sudden frown deepening the lines in his face. 

“Did I say something funny?” 

“No sir, sorry.” Riel bites her lip. Her gaze drops to her hands--she pulls them apart and smooths her sweaty palms against her pants, grips her hands around her knees until her knuckles are frigid white. She’s shaking. She can feel her trembling in her shoulders down to her fingertips. One wrong move--

“The question, then?” The Superior presses, his expression going blank, neutral. “What made you want to be a soldier?” 

“Obligation.” She hides a grimace--her face is so hot it’s bound to be bright pink, _embarrassing--_ but she manages to collect herself enough to add, “It’s not like I was ever given the choice, sir--I have a duty to uphold. I was born to do one thing.” 

The Superior nods, but his lips twist, pulling into an expression that’s somewhere between disdain and disagreement. “And that thing is…”

“Protect Tyrna,” Riel says, adding a silent “ _ obviously.”  _

“Excellent.” The Superior nods. “Just the type of response I’d expect from one of Sinclair’s top students.” 

Riel almost snorts again--really? A compliment? After the way he’d just looked at her?  _ Rue was right. There’s nothing to worry about.  _

“Congratulations, Riel,” the Superior says. He stands, straightens the crisp red cuffs of his officers’ jacket, and extends his hand toward Riel. “Welcome to the Archive.” 

~

“I’ve never wanted to slap someone more,” Riel mumbles into her pillow, knowing full well Rue’s capable of hearing her anyway. “He looked like he was ready to fire me right up until I started talking about duty and honor, Rue. Then he changed entirely.” 

Rue nods, her face awash in the bright lights of her tablet. “I know. They did the same with me.” 

“You think they were as hard on Gavin?” 

“ _ Gavin? _ ” Rue coughs out, giggling. “Hells no. Gavin’s the type they’re lookin’ for, Riel. You and me, we were born into this. Gavin’s the one going places.” 

“Technically, we were all born into this,” Riel says, raising an eyebrow. Rue glares at her, the expression enough to shut her up--almost. “Still, he should be back now. He’s been gone for--”

The door slams open. 

“Gavin!” Riel shouts, the word underlaid with Rue’s growling outcry. “The  _ wall _ , Gavin!”

“Yeah, genius, remember the dent you left last time!”

“Sorry.” The shadows in the hallway beyond their small bedroom part, flicker as Gavin turns the lights on. He enters, looking ragged, his eyes worn and bloodshot as he takes a seat at the foot of Rue’s bed. 

It’s a dumb choice--Rue’s glare brightens. “You’d better have washed up before you came in here.”

“I did,” Gavin says, softly, looking wholly unprepared to deal with the force of Rue’s rage. 

“Good.” Rue leans back again, dissuaded. “Everything go okay?” 

“Mmhm, fine,” Gavin says, in the gentle tone he always takes with Rue, like a parent talking to a toddler. “You?” 

“The Superiors don’t like me,” Rue says, sticking out her tongue. 

Riel glances at her, slow smirk tugging at her upper lip. “Can’t imagine why.”

“Bug off,” Rue snaps back without so much as a glance in Riel’s direction. “I’m amazing.” 

“Amazingly  _ annoying _ \--ow!” Riel tilts sideways, her eyes flashing as Rue buries her elbow in her ribs. “Dammit Rue, that hurt--”

“Sorry,” Rue hums, not looking sorry at all. 

Riel growls. 

Gavin clears his throat, drawing Riel’s attention. He doesn’t say anything for a second, doesn’t even look up, and when he does, his hair’s tumbled down over his eyes, a light shadow over his forehead. “Hey, guys…”

“Spit it out, Gav,” Rue mutters, rolls onto her side with one hand propped up and twisted between strands of her long white hair. Riel grunts, jabs her elbow into Rue’s side, ignores the way Rue huffs at her, annoyed. 

“It’s just...I’m worried--” Gavin inhales, collects himself, and shakes his head before blurting out, “they’ll put us together on the same squad, right? We were raised together, don’t they usually… put siblings together?” 

_ Siblings _ . The word hovers in the air, resonating with a warmth that’s electric and deceptively real, deceptively  _ whole.  _ Family’s always just been a word to them. Family’s never been anything they’ve had at all. 

Riel shuts her eyes, bites her lip, opens her eyes to find Gavin staring at her, his gray eyes wide. 

“I dunno,” she says slowly, not wanting to break him but knowing lying will hurt even more. “Not our decision. Not even Sinclair’s.” 

“But she’s Matron Miers’ assistant, shouldn’t she get a say?” 

“The Superiors don’t care about the Matrons,” Rue says, sneering silver eyes flashing as she sits up. “They never have. ‘f they did,  _ our  _ Matron would be on some beach planet, drinking and swimming in the ocean.” 

Gavin looks at the floor again. It’s dark enough that his face is sort of obscured, but Riel still catches the tears shining in his pale gray eyes. 

“Even if they don’t put us together, it’s gonna be okay,” she says, with a pointed glance at Rue. “Rue and I live together, and you’re just down the hall. We’ll still see each other a lot.” 

“They’d better put us together, I hate everyone else,” Rue says. 

Riel snorts. “Seriously?” 

“Like you didn’t already know that.” 

_ “Everyone  _ else?” 

Gavin’s eyes widen as he leans forward, grinning. “Not everyone else,” he sings, “there’s that one Superior’s assistant…”

Riel nods, fights to hide her own grin.. “What was her name again? Malia?” 

“Mariana,” Gavin says. “The one with the red hair.”

Red hair-- _ that  _ clears it up. 

“Mariana,” Riel nods again, a smirk pulling at her lips. “The assistant. She seems sweet--she has a poor taste in career choices, but she seems sweet.” She looks back at Rue and grins--the other girl is blushing, a red flush creeping up her cheeks to trace across her forehead, stark pink against her porcelain skin. 

“I hate you both,” she says, glaring at each of them in turn, and Gavin  _ beams _ . 

“You could never.” 

Their comm-unit buzzes, and Rue’s the one to get up and answer it. She huffs the whole five steps across the room, practically snarls into the comm. “What do you want?” 

On the other end, Matron Sinclair gasps, startled. Riel laughs into her hands, even as Rue whirls around with a vicious glare. 

“Is that any way to talk to your supervisor, Rue?” The Matron demands, affronted. 

“S-Sorry, Matron,” Rue stutters. “I thought it was--” She stops. Swallows. “Nevermind.” 

“I can only guess who you’d deem worthy of such a greeting,” Matron Sinclair sighs. “Nevertheless, I’ve been asked to pass on a message--the Superiors are through clearing your interviews, you’ve been summoned to the main chamber.” 

The blush in Rue’s cheeks vanishes in an instant, her whole body going still as she stutters out, “Um, okay.

“Already?” Gavin whispers, frantically tugging at the sleeve of his coat. “It’s barely been an hour!” 

“I wouldn’t keep them waiting, if I were you,” Matron Sinclair says. “They’re not patient people, our Superiors.” 

“Yes, of course, Matron.” Riel stands up, stretches, grimaces silently. “We’ll be right there.”

The line goes dead. 

Gavin stands up. They stand in startled silence. 

“Well shit,” Rue says with a loud breath that shrugs her shoulders. “Guess this is it.” 

Riel reaches out with both hands, takes her would-be siblings’ hands into her own. “We’ve got this.” 

Gavin nods. “Right.” 

“Duh,” Rue says with a wink. She turns around. Riel catches the fear in her eyes anyway, moves to squeeze her shoulder, sighs when Rue shakes her away. 

They’ll be fine--they always are, always have been. Together through anything, together forever. Definitely. 

~

The meeting is in a part of the compound Riel never goes to. 

None of them do, really, because the soldiers all have their places and they can only go so far without permission from their Matrons--and really, Matron Sinclair is one of the lax ones, some of their comrades have never left the soldiers’ wing--so the moment she sees the Superiors’ wing is... intense. 

Everything’s so much  _ bigger,  _ for one. And where everything on the soldiers’ side is gray and concrete and steel, everything on the Superiors’ end is polished marble and crimson, color brightening everything, real, blooming flowers decorating every table and climbing up the walls. 

It’s massive. And pretty. 

They walk quickly, Rue at the front, Gavin at Riel’s left as they cross through the hallways and corridors, winding through the building until they come to the Head Superior’s office. 

The office itself is big, mostly marble like everything else, but where the doors of the other Superiors were smallish things, made of dark wood and bearing no recognizable markings, the Head Superior’s door is elaborate--edged with gold, furnished with a wide, heavy-looking plaque with a quote in a language Riel can’t read.

The Head Superior is a broad-shouldered man, a pureblooded Tyrnan with piercing golden eyes--tiny, like stars. He stoops over his desk, thick arms nearly obscuring Riel’s view of their assignment sheet as he sets it in front of them, steps backward to watch as the three of them crowd forward, anxious to see its contents. 

They’re together. It’s all there, typed out in a thick black font.  _ Squad 42. Supervisor--Lee Sinclair.  _

_ Lee?  _ Riel nudges forward, brushes a finger over the name, swallows the anxious lump that rises in her throat.  _ Lee.  _ All her life and she’s never bothered to ask her Matron’s first name. 

This is it--everything they’ve always wanted, complete with their Matron as their leader. 

So why is she so nervous?

“Well?” The Superior stares at them, his expression unreadable. “Is it to your liking?” 

A rhetorical question, Riel knows. She stares back at him, finding that there’s nothing to say. 

“Yes sir,” Rue says, calm and subdued, for once. “Thank you, sir.” 

The man hums, sits back down in the big red chair behind his desk--it matches his coat and uniform, Riel notes with veiled amusement--and reaches into a drawer...to pull out another stack of papers. 

_ The  _ papers, probably, hopefully. Riel’s heart thumps in her chest, a staccato rhythm that’s palpably out of sync with the rest of her. “Are those--” 

“You three are on probation,” the Superior says, patting the papers, “you’ve got one week to prove that you can handle an assignment while changing--and, statistically speaking, you will be showing signs of manifestation by the end of tomorrow.” 

Riel nods. The thought is exhilarating and terrifying all at once- the idea that she could be changing in a days’ time, changing into something new, something stronger. Something that could make or break the rest of her career in the Archive.

“Of course, you’ve no idea how exactly your latent traits will manifest themselves, but it’s your responsibility to keep track of them and learn to keep them under control--fail to do this and you’ll be removed from your station and suspended until you’re finished changing.”

She’s always thought she’d be excited when the moment came. Standing here now, though, Riel looks deep down and finds that instead, she’s absolutely terrified. 

“You understand the importance of maintaining control, don’t you?” The Superior asks. 

“Of course,” Riel says. Next to her, Rue and Gavin respond similarly. Riel can practically feel Rue vibrating in place next to her--although knowing Rue, it’s probably out of excitement rather than fear. Gavin’s different--he mirrors her, shaking with fear and anticipation more than anything else. 

“Good.” The Superior nods at them, but he doesn’t smile, barely blinks as he stands, collects the papers on his desk into a neat pile in his hands. “Excellent. You have my congratulations then--here is your assignment.” 

He hands them each a folder--cream-colored, deceptively thin as Riel opens it to reveal a bundle of contents. There’s a small photo on the first page of a man with dark eyes and a narrow face, his lips tilted into a sneer as he stares into the camera. 

Below the photo, the man’s name is etched on the page in an elegant script-- _ Rhydian, Tyrna Developments, Head Scientist. _

_ Holy shit.  _ Riel glances up at Matron Sinclair, finds the older woman smiling at her behind the Superior’s shoulder, her eyes shining.  _ How did we--  _

_ Tyrna Developments. Rhydian.  _

She’s never heard of anyone named Rhydian, but then, Tyrna Developments doesn’t exactly broadcast who does what in their building, choosing instead to keep quiet as they research. She’s seen their name before, on the backs of medicine bottles and boxes. 

_ This...this is a big deal, right? _

“You’re dismissed,” the Superior says with a wink. “Good luck.” 

Riel salutes and beside her, Rue and Gavin do the same. Her movements are stiff, almost robotic as she turns to leave the room. 

She swears she can hear the Head Superior laughing as she walks into the hall.

The door closes softly behind Riel as she bumps it, leans against the massive wooden slab and  _ squeals.  _

“We did it,” she breathes, “we’re together!”

  
_ Together,  _ Riel thinks, a huge grin spreading over her face.  _ Finally.  _


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riel and her squad have their first day on assignment. 
> 
> It goes terribly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the sort-of late update! currently trying to balance three-ish fics right now and...well.

The training center is a long gray building. It sprawls out in the corner of the city, gray walls nearly blending in the huge mountainscape behind it. 

Their city doesn’t have a name, really--it’s big and accommodating and no one really travels out beyond it--and even though Riel’s long since learned to navigate its winding roads, some days it’s harder to find things than others. 

Like today. When it’s hazy and foggy and the whole world is purple-gray and permeated with a heavy, wet-smelling scent. 

“I hate this,” Riel mumbles, waving her hand in front of her face. “Can barely see what’s in front of me.” 

“That’s why we take a bus, idiot,” Rue retorts with a grin, the insult all bark but no bite. “If it were up to you, we’d get lost walking out of the compound.” 

Riel grunts. 

“She’s not arguing, she knows I’m right,” Rue whispers in a voice that’s not really a whisper. Gavin giggles. 

“I can hear you,” Riel says, glaring at the bus as it rolls around the corner, moving far too slowly for her tastes. “Rue--”

She feels Rue’s response more than hears it--Rue’s a master at using her power without being seen, a combination that’s simultaneously awe-inducing and terrifying. She twitches, her backpack strap slipping down her arm as the bus grinds to a halt, and rotates her arm to shift the strap back into position, glares at Rue when it doesn’t budge. 

Riel trips Rue on the way up. 

The road to the building their assignment is in isn’t long, necessarily, just boring--everything in their city looks the same, with the same color buildings, same advertisements on the windows, same bright lights and flashing screens etched into the tall buildings above. 

They drive, and at every stop there’s people walking in between the cars, hurrying to get to the other side. Everyone’s going somewhere. 

And Riel? Riel would rather be outside, running in the fog, zigzagging between cars because she’s going somewhere too and the bus isn’t fast enough, not really, not for her. 

They get to where they’re going and she’s nervous as she steps outside, nervous as she trails behind Rue and behind Gavin, picking at her uniform the entire walk up into the department’s entrance. 

“You okay?” Gavin whispers to her, his breath hot against her ear, his voice loud. 

Rue is in front of them, explaining who they are to the lady at the front desk. She talks with her hands, Riel notes with a smile. And she’s loud, boisterous as she talks to the woman, who doesn’t seem to be following what she’s saying...at all. 

“We’re the new guards for--” Rue digs through the bag at her hip again, pulls out a snippet of paper--recognizable from the folder each of them received--“Head scientist uhh...Rhydian?” 

The woman blinks. “They sent  _ you  _ to guard Rhydian?” 

“The hells’ that supposed to mean?” Rue demands, affronted. “Look ma’am, we’re gonna be late if you don’t--”

“Lerou?” The voice booms across the empty lobby, and the woman at the desk looks up, shock breaking over her face. “Lerou, what’s going on down here? I was told the new guards would arrive--oh.” 

“Yeah,  _ oh _ .” Rue grunts, leaning against the desk to stare at the newcomer. “Are you Rhydian?” 

“That would be me, yes.” The man stares at them, eyes twinkling in the lobby’s golden electric lights. “And you are?” 

“I’m Rue, and this is Riel and Gavin,” Rue says, jutting a hand in Rie’s direction, then Gavin’s. “We’re from the Archive.” 

Riel grins--she can hear the thrill in Rue’s words, feel the excitement in the verbalization of it--but the scientist’s entire face is tilted downward in a perpetual frown. “We didn’t mean to inconvenience you in any way, sir,” she says, stepping forward. “Really, we were just trying to get things sorted down here.” 

“Yes, yes, just try and be earlier next time,” Rhydian says, glancing pointedly in the secretary woman’s direction. “Lerou, I trust everything is settled?” 

“Of course,” the woman says, clearing her throat. She reaches up, sets three colored cards on the edge of the desk, and points to them each in turn. “These are your security passes. Bump them up against the reader at the entrance, and we won’t have to speak to each other again.”

“Thank you,” Riel says with a shallow smile. She takes the reader and turns, grateful to be walking away from the secretary as Rhydian leads them through the lobby.  _ Jeez, what a grouch.  _

“This building incorporates three different sub-sections into its offices,” Rhydian explains. “My offices are on the top three floors. You won’t have to worry about the floors below--the scientists there have their own guards.”

Riel nods, lets her gaze wander off to take in the lobby in all its vastness--shining white tile, a seating area off to one side, sitting beside a fountain framed by potted greenery. It’s pretty in a way that’s pristine and bright and far too clean for Riel’s tastes. 

“I’m stationing you at every entrance and exit in my main office,” Rhydian says. “There shouldn’t be much in the way of activity, but if there is, I expect each of you to clear anyone who tries to enter my office. Is that understood?” 

“How will we know who to let in and who to turn away?” Gavin asks. 

Rhydian glances at him. “Do they teach you nothing in that Archive of yours?” 

“They taught us plenty,” Rue snaps, her whole body going rigid. “We’re  _ telekinetic _ . We can’t read your mind.” 

“ _ Rue, _ ” Riel hisses, glances worriedly in the scientist’s direction. “You can’t just--”

“I may not appreciate being snapped at, but I can speak up for myself,” Rhydian says, blinking at her. 

Riel slips backward, nods, and shifts silently to the back of the group as they start walking again. “Sorry.” 

He doesn’t respond.

They walk into an elevator next, one bigger than the room Riel shares with Rue. It’s massive, shiny just like the rest of the building, with coppery railing and windows on three sides. 

Her ears pop as they rise, the world falling away, sliding into a haze of gray as they ascend higher and higher, up above the street, climbing into the clouds. 

The doors open, but Riel keeps staring at the sky. 

“C’mon, Riel,” Gavin murmurs, tugging at her arm. “Quit daydreaming.” 

“I’m coming,” she says, but the look on his face tells her that he doesn’t quite believe her and knows that she’ll never stop daydreaming, not really. “Don’t do that.” 

His lip curls. “Not doin’ anything.” 

“You--” 

“Am I going too fast for you?” Rhydian calls from ahead of them. “Do try to keep up.” 

“I don’t like him,” Riel mumbles. 

Gavin huffs. “Join the club.”

She grins at him and pulls him out of the elevator and into the hall where Rue and Rhydian are waiting. Rue’s staring at them behind Rhydian’s back, a huge, dopey grin on her face, giddy with excitement as Rhydian starts walking again and they near the entrance to the lab. 

The lab. 

It feels bigger than everything else they’ve seen so far, which doesn’t really make sense given that the space is roughly the same, but Riel’s stunned when she walks in anyway and has to take a second to compose herself because her first reaction is a soundless  _ “whoa”  _ that rushes through her in a soft gasp. 

The lab is  _ massive-- _ wide and gaping and practically empty, with a floor that’s open all except for the walls, where countless computers and other machines are pushed off to each side. 

“You won’t be touching any of these, of course,” Rhydian says with a chuckle, “you won’t be touching anything, really--I won’t be expecting you to sit down or use any of the chairs, but should you need to relieve yourself, the restroom is down the hall.” 

Riel glances over her shoulder, notes the bend in the corridor, and nods. “And you want us by this door here?”

“And the windows,” Rhydian nods, appraising each of them slowly, gray eyes unblinking. “Which of you is the strongest?”

Riel stares at the floor. The three of them--there were tests of course, but they were so close on everything that their talents blurred and went hazy at the edges. Sometimes she wasn’t sure where she began and her squadmates ended. 

But Rue speaks up with characteristic pride. “That would be me, sir.” 

And Riel can see it then, the way Rhydian nods, like he’s thinking about Gavin’s lanky frame and her own smaller one. He believes Rue instantly. 

“Right then,” he nods, “you, by the door.” A beat. “Any questions?” 

“My name is Rue, sir,” Rue says calmly, “not ‘you.’” 

Again, the scientist’s eyes flicker with something Riel can’t quite place. It’s not  _ anger,  _ necessarily, but he’s not exactly calm either. This is something different. Something… something…

“Right,” Rhydian says, “sorry. Rue. And...Gavin, yes? And Riel.”

“That’s us.” Rue grins. 

Doesn’t she see what she’s doing? The line that she’s walking? One bad word from Rhydian and their squad will be reassigned or worse--sent back to training.  _ Training.  _ They’ve sent years doing that. 

She won’t go back. Ever. Even if it means...even if it means they’ll be separated.

Gavin moves toward one of the windows. Riel flashes Rue a look-- _ don’t mess this up for us-- _ as Rue moves to stand a few feet away. 

She takes her place and they stand, just like that, for hours. 

Hours--she knows. She watches them tick by. 

And Rhydian? Rhydian just _works_ and bounces around the room like a madman, muttering to himself. 

Outside of the lab, the sky goes dark. Stars spill across the sky, and for the first time during their shift, Riel’s glad she’s by a window. The stars on Tyrna are  _ beautiful-- _ pinpricks of scarlet and violet, turning the sky around them into a midnight swirl. 

By the time their shift is almost over, Riel’s whole body aches. She’s frozen, halfway looking at the sky, the rest of the room in her peripheral. Rhydian hasn’t moved for several minutes. 

And then he stands. He glances at them again. “Is it true you hybrids have telekinetic abilities?” 

“We--yes, sir, that’s true.” Riel stutters, the word “hybrid” loud in her head as she says it, schooling her features into a cool, unbothered expression. 

“Where did your abilities come from? No other Tyrnan has such power. What makes you so special?” 

Riel glances over Rhydian’s shoulder, across the room. Rue is shaking from her spot by the door, lips tight, one hand stretched over her shoulder, fingers twisting, twirling through her white hair.

And Gavin...well. He’s never struggled with his temper the way Rue has, but Riel knows he’s upset. Angry. 

His words. Direct. Intense.  _ Rude.  _

“Science, I’d assume,” Riel says carefully, her voice firm. “Not my place to understand.” 

“You didn’t ask questions?” Rhydian  _ stares.  _ “You just...let them experiment on you?” 

“Experiment? Sir, we were born like this.”  _ Experiment.  _ Now she’s shaking too.  _ Hybrid. Experiment.  _ Like they’re  _ freakish.  _

“Show me.”

“Show you?” 

“Your powers!” Rhydian waves his hands dismissively, turns toward his desk, grabs one of the bottles of water beside his main computer monitor, and tosses it easily through the air. It soars, and Riel knows what he’s trying to do but he didn’t throw it toward her--he threw it toward Rue, who catches it easily. 

Rhydian throws a small round fruit (a red one, Riel’s never seen it, but then, they get goods from all over the galaxy) toward Gavin. He catches it too--midair, mirroring Rue’s movements exactly. A gentle flick of the hand and the fruit hovers, floats above the floor. Gavin lifts his hand, faces it palm-forward toward Rhydian, and the fruit alights gently back on the table. 

And then Rhydian’s gaze flicks to Riel. 

Something is  _ wrong.  _ Riel feels it the moment his eyes set on her, but she still casts out her hand like Rue and Gavin did, still waits for the gentle build of her power to warm her insides, mount until the energy buzzes in the base of her palm. 

Nothing happens. There’s no build, no buzz,  _ nothing,  _ but Rhydian doesn’t see her panic, doesn’t see her eyes widen when her mouth starts to open in a silent warning, and he throws. 

The object is glass, a pretty ornament that catches the light and glitters gold as it flies through the air. 

Riel reaches, reaches, and  _ reaches _ for the power that’s been inside her  _ this whole time, _ but the second everyone’s eyes are on her, it  _ fails  _ and the ornament just...shatters against the floor.

Riel yelps, the sound raw and fearful as she jerks away from the onslaught of spraying glass. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” she shrills, too terrified to meet anyone’s gaze. “I just…” 

Her powers. 

Something is  _ wrong.  _

She’s been training for this moment her entire life--they all have. There were stages to the training, levels in which they were taught how to use their abilities, taught things that would help them protect others, but the powers-training had always been her favorite. It was one of the things she’d always excelled at. 

And now? Her powers aren’t just glitching--they’re  _ gone,  _ a real, palpable emptiness in her where they had once resided, ice-cold winding its way into her stomach and up into her chest. 

_ Shit.  _ She’s in trouble now. She can tell, because Rue and Gavin are both staring at her, slack-jawed, and Rhydian...well. 

_ So that’s what he looks like when he’s angry.  _

_ ~ _

“What the  _ hell  _ was that, Riel?” Rue demands, brushing furiously against Riel’s side in an attempt to glare at her. “You just--did you  _ see  _ his face? He was mortified! You embarrassed us in front of the head of one of the biggest development teams on the  _ planet!”  _

“I know!” Riel snarls back, one foot scuffing against the floor, sending a sharp, peeling shriek through the air. “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to just--I didn’t mean to freeze up like that!” 

Her whole body’s cold, all of her shaking as they walk so she crosses her arms over her chest, hides her hands in her sleeves. She doesn’t meet Rue’s gaze, or Gavin’s. 

She can still feel it, the emptiness. The  _ wrongness _ . 

“Where are we going?” Gavin asks, and Riel winces. It’s a fair question. Rhydian dismissed them, and immediately, she and Rue just...started walking. 

The bus ride home had been painfully quiet.

“Sinclair’s office,” Rue grunts, a pace in front of Riel. “She’s not going to be happy.” 

“I think she’s just gonna be  _ worried, _ ” Gavin says, and Riel resists the urge to squeeze his shoulder, thankful that even when panicked, he’s still so  _ kind.  _

Riel turns into the next hall. 

All the halls look the same, but the Matrons’ hall is accented with bits of pink everywhere, and Matron Sinclair is an assistant to the Head Matron, which means  _ her  _ room…

“Here,” Riel says, stopping in front of the big gray door in the center of the hall. She pulls her hand out of her sleeve, moves to grab the door knob, and stares at her fingers. They’re trembling so badly she can hardly move them to open the door. 

“ _ Stars,  _ Riel, what’s  _ wrong  _ with you?” Rue asks, glaring at Riel. 

It’s all Riel can do to keep from crying right there. “I don’t...I don’t know.” 

Rue stills and goes a shade paler. “Riel--” 

“Riel? Rue? Are you out there?” The door opens, and Matron Sinclair is  _ flustered  _ as she stares at them, ushering them inside. “What in  _ stars’  _ name have you done?” She demands, voice going up an octave. “Barely a day after getting your new assignment, and I’ve already gotten a call from your  _ mission  _ and  _ several  _ Superiors! You failed to use your powers and made your squad look weak!” She levels a crooked finger toward Riel, her gray eyes flashing as she crosses the room, eases back onto her big red chair. 

“I don’t know what happened,” Riel begins, but Matron Sinclair silences her with a glare. 

“Riel, you’ve been training for this since you were  _ born, _ ” she says. “Your powers will fluctuate as the manifestation of your latent half begins--you’ve known this for  _ years _ . So tell me-- _ why _ is it that the first chance you have to prove yourself, you fail?” 

_ Fail. Failure.  _ She’s a failure. She--

“Rhydian isn’t just the head of one of the most important development teams on Tyrna. His family has been a benefactor for our own research for  _ years _ , Riel. And now he’s concerned that the squad assigned to protect him isn’t ready--isn’t capable of doing their job!” 

“I’m sorry--”

“This impacts more than just your team! It impacts all of us! You’ve reflected poorly on everyone involved!” 

“I’m  _ sorry!”  _

“Controlling your abilities is well within your reach! Your marks were always some of the highest, Riel, so I don’t understand why--”

“My powers didn’t just  _ glitch.  _ I reached for them, and they were  _ gone,”  _ Riel snarls, clutching her arms across her chest again. “They were gone. Like they were never there. And now I’m just… cold.” 

Matron Sinclair’s expression changes instantly, warping into one full of fear. “I see,” she says, staring at Riel with wide eyes. “Well, that changes things.”

  
“It does?” 

“I’m afraid so.” Matron Sinclair shuts her eyes, presses her lips together as she opens them and pulls up the data-screen fixed to her desk. Through the screen, Riel can see names and numbers--squad numbers, Superiors’ names and designations--flick over the hologram. “You’re walking on thin ice, Riel.” 

At Riel’s side, Gavin inhales sharply. 

“Consider this your first warning.” Something burns through Riel when Matron Sinclair meets her eyes again. “The Superiors’ will be watching you now. Give them one more reason to believe you’re unfit for your assignment, and you’ll be assigned out of the Archive. Immediately. Or worse. Do you understand?” 

All the breath leaves her lungs. Riel just nods.

“I have faith in you, Riel.” Matron Sinclair tilts her heads, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth before fading. “But you understand that the Archive thrives on perfection--everything about you could change in an instant, and we have to be prepared to move toward the highest efficiency possible, no matter the cost.”  _ Even if that cost is you.  _

The words, unspoken, are no less there, and they hit Riel like a slap to the face. She nods again, looks down at the floor, her eyes throbbing as tears blur across her vision. 

“Dismissed,” Matron Sinclair says softly. 

Gavin and Rue flank Riel instantly, guiding her out of the hall. 

Riel doesn’t hear a word they say to her. 

They’re in trouble now--big trouble, and it’s all her fault. 

_ One little mistake... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! leave a kudos/comment on your way out! <3


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